An Israeli soldier has been kidnapped and killed by a Palestinian in the West Bank, reports Israel’s Shin Bet security agency.

A resident of the Palestinian city of Qalqilya, in the West Bank,
allegedly lured an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldier to the
scene of the murder, killed him and then hid the dead body in a
well, reports the Jerusalem Post (JP). The incident happened on
Friday, but the announcement from security forces came on
Saturday.

The suspect, who is currently in custody, reportedly worked
together with the victim in a restaurant in the city of Bat Yam,
on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast. The alleged murderer hoped
to secure the release of his brother, a jailed terrorist, in
exchange for the body of the soldier, JP writes.

On Friday evening, after the Shin Bet received reports about the
disappearance of the soldier, who had not contacted his family
since the morning, the security agency along with police and the
IDF launched an operation to find the missing man.

The investigation revealed that the suspect - 42-year-old
Palestinian Nadal Amar – met the solider and persuaded him to go
with him to his residence. The two took a taxi from Bat Yam to
the Samaria settlement of Shaarei Tikva, not far from Amar’s
village. Then, the suspect led the soldier to an open area near
the Palestinian village of Saniria, killed and hid the body,
security forces said, not clarifying how exactly the killing was
carried out.

Israeli security forces raided the suspect’s home and arrested
Nadal and his brother.

“During his interrogation, Amar said his motive for the murder
was to 'trade' the soldier's body in exchange for the release of
his brother, Nur Al-Din Amar, a Tanzim member in prison since
2003 due to his involvement in several terror attacks,” the
Shin Bet is cited as saying.

Amar took law enforcers to the place where the soldier’s body was
hidden.

The investigation into the case is continuing and more arrests
are expected, security forces said.

Read: Official report from joint #IDF and
ISA operation that led to the discovery of a murdered IDF
soldier today: http://t.co/u0wgy2PfZL